Polishing apparatus



Dec. 3, 1929. J. P. SAPORITI POLISHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 6, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR ATTORN EY WITNESS Dec. 3, 1929. J. P. SAPORITI POLISHING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 kwh N QT Q WRN @N .uh RN Filed Aug. 6, 1925 ATTORNEY Dec. 3, 1929. J. P. SAPORlTl POLISHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 6, 1925 v3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ran ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 3, 1929 STATES JOHN I. SAPORITI, O1? BARBIE, VERMONT POLISHING APPARATUS Application filed August 6, 1923.

The object of my said invention is the pro vision of a polishing apparatus constructed with a view to use with facility in expeditiously and thoroughly polishing heavy work and wide surfaces such as heavy and large stones.

To the attainment of the foregoing, the invention consists in the improvement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification Figure 1 is a View partly in front elevation and partly in vertical longitudinal section showing one type of apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail vertical section of one of the polishers, taken in the plane indicated by the line 3-8 of Figure 1, looking toward the right Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of one of the polishing wheels or polishers.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken in the plane indicated by the line 55 of Figure 3, looking downwardly.

Figures 5 and 5 are views of details hereinafter explicitly referred to.

Figure 5 is a section showing a slight modification.

Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are views illustrative of modifications hereinafter referred to in detail; Figure 8 being a detail section on the line 8-8 of Figure 7, and Figure 12 being a detail vertical section on the line 12-12 of Figure 11.

Similar numerals designate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 5 to which reference will first be made.

In accordance with my invention as shown in Figures 1 to 5, I employ a plurality of track rails 1 in parallelism, upon which is movable a car 2 on which is arranged a stone or stones 8 to be polished.

Any appropriate means may be employed for the movement of the car and stone or stones thereon, although I prefer to employ for the purpose a rope or cable 4, Figure 2, connected at 5 and 6 to the car to be actuated, and associated with drums 8 on a shaft- 8 to Serial No. 655,992.

be driven by appropriate means such as the electric motor 8 shown in Figure 1.

Fixedly secured in concrete bases 9 at opposite sides of the group of rails 1 are uprights 10 appropriately braced at 11. Fixed to and extending at right angles between the uprights 10 are lower and upper frame beams 12 of which four are employed. It will be ob served that the beams 12 rest above the car.- riage 2 and the stone or stones thereon and at right angles to the line of movement of said carriage and stone or stones.

Arranged above the stone or stones to be polished and in association with the beams 12 are polishing units of which four are illustrated although it is within the purview of my invention to employ any desired number of polishing units. The said polishing units are identical in construction and therefore a detailed description of the one shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 5 and 5 will suffice to impart a definite understanding of all. By reference to Figures 8, 4: 5, 5 and 5" it will be understood that the unit therein illustrated comprises among other elements a polisher or polishing wheel 13. Superimposed on the said wheel or polisher 13 which is of any material compatible with its purpose is an annular weight 13 which is preferably, though not necessarily, employed with a view to holding the wheel or polisher down to its work. The said p-olisher or wheel 13 is provided at its underside with a central opening 1 1 in communication with which are ducts 14:, Figure 5, through which fluid carrying abrasive substance may be fed to the opening.

It will be noted that the polisher or wheel 13 is provided at its underside with scrolllike channels 15, preferably of the type best shown in Figures 3 and 1, the purpose of which is to conduct fluid and abrasive substance outwardly from the central opening 14L to the outer portion of the polisher with a view to utilizing the fluid and abrasive substance to the best advantage incident to the work of the polisher or wheel on the stone or stones to be polished. As illustrated I prefer to detachably connect by screws or other means the walls 15 of the channels 15 to the heads of the wheels or polishers 13 so that The polisher or wheel 13 is fixed at 16 to an upright shaft 17 which extends between the pairs of beams 12, Figure 3, and has fixed on its upper portion a band pulley 18. The shaft 17 extends through and is carried by a housing 17 x which is arranged and movable bodily between the beams 12, anti-friction means such as balls 19 being interposed between the housing and the beams 12 so that the housing can be moved to and fro relative to the beams 12 with but a minimum amount of friction. Surrounding the shaft 17 is a flanged sleeve 17 the upper portion of the sleeve being j ournaled in the housing 17*, and the fiange abuts ting against the lower end of the said housing 17 Loosely arranged on the sleeve is a Washer 17*, between which and the said flange are interposed anti-friction balls 17 At 17 is a nut that is threadedon the lower end of the sleeve 17, and between the said nut 17 and the loose washer '17" is interposed a spring 17 A which loosely surrounds the lower portion of the sleeve 17. Manifestly when the nut 17 is adjusted the spring 17 can be compressed and secured in compressed state about the sleeve17 so as to take the pressure of the spring off the polisher or wheel 13. When, however, the nut 17 d is turned off the sleeve 17 and permitted to bear on the collar 17 which loosely surrounds the shaft 17, the polisher or wheel 13will: be subject to the pressure of the-said spring. The collar 17 is separated by antifriction balls, Figure 3,

from the portion of the wheel or polisher to which the shaft 17 is connected by a thread as illustrated. When desired the spring 17 may be supplemented by a weight 13 such as before described. The walls l5 of the polishers are preferably formed of soft iron to afford the best results, and hence it is materially desirable to have the said walls 15 detachable from the heads of thepolishers 13, which heads or covers are preferably of soft steel.

In lieu of the rigid connection between polisher 13 and shaft 17 as shown in Figure 3, a universal connection 16* may be employed between the said elements as shown in Figure 5, so as to enable the polisher to accommodate itself to the face of the stone that is being polished.

It Will be understood'from the foregoing that the battery of polishing units are movable between the beams 12 in opposite directions lengthwise of the said beams 12. The several housings 17 are connected together by rods 25, Figure 1, and hence it will be understood that all of the polishing wheels with a band pulley 18 for the connection of the shaftwith a motor not illustrated. At 18 and 18 are short shafts connected by pulleys and bands with the shaft 18 and at 18 and 18 are rack bars each of which is connected to an adjacent housing 17 as indicated by 18, Figure 1. Mcshcd with the rack bar 18 is a mutilated gear 30, and intermeshed with the rack bar 18 is a mutilated gear 31. 'Fixed with respect to the gear 30 are disks 32, Figures 1 and 2, and fixed with respect to the gear 31 are similar disks These disks 32 and 33 are connected through the medium of equalizing rods 20' so as to assure the gears 30 and 31 moving in concert. The shaft 18 is connected with the adjacent gear 31 by a band 35 and appropriate pulleys. t will also be noticed by comparison of Figures 1 and 2, that both shafts 18 and 18 are connected with the shaft 18 by bands 36 and appropriate pulleys. In virtue of this construction it will be apparent that incident to the operation of the apparatus the battery of polishing units will be moved to and fro longitudinally of the beams 12, the movement of the battery of polishing units in one direction being efi'ected by the cooperating gear 30 and rack bar 18 and the movement of the battery of the polishing units in the other direction being effected by cooperation between rack bar 18 and the gear 31, it being understood in this connection that when one of the said gears is operating to move the battery of polishing units in one direction, the smooth portion of the other gear will be presented to its complementary rack bar so as not to interfere with said movement.

It will be manifest from the foregoing, that during the operation of the embodiments thus far described in detail, the carriage will be reciprocated or moved to and fro on the rails 1, the motor 8* being preferably a reversible motor characterized by a separately excited field. It will also be understood that during the said movements of the carriage below and at right angles to the beams 12, the polishers 13 will be rotated about their axes on the stone, and at the same time the polishers will be moved together crosswise of the path of movement of the carriage and the stone so that all portions of the surface of the stone will be polished, and this thoroughly and expeditiously, and with but little attention on the part of an attendant or attendants.

In the modification shown in Figure 6, I employ inlieu of the gears 30 and 31 bevel gears, one of said bevel gears being shown in Figure 6, and being numbered 31. The bevel gears 31 are driven from the shafts 18 and 18 and are meshed with bevel gears 18'", and the said bevel gears 18 are connected by rods 18 with adjacent housings 17 Manifestly with the driving connections such as shown in Figure 6, at opposite ends of the beams 12, the battery of polishing units will be moved to and fro lengthwise of the beams 12 in the manner before described.

in the modification shown in Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10, the stone to be polished remains stationary, while the polishing apparatus is moved as a whole crosswise of the stone, and the polishing units are moved to and fro in the frame of the apparatus and at right angles to the line of movement of the polishing apparatus as a whole, the polishing units being rotated about their axes incident to the said movements at right angles to each other. In said modification, Figures 7-10, the polishing units are similar to those before described, and the means shown in Figure 6, and before described is preferably employed to move the polishing units together lengthwise of the frame and relative to the frame. The frame carrying the polishing units is moved at rightangles to the line of movement just indicated on a pedestal, the frame being numbered 12 and the pedestal being numbered 12 and said frame and pedestal being relatively arranged as best shown in Figures 7 and 8. The frame 12 is provided with racks 50, and intermeshed with the said racks are spur gears 51, fixed on a shaft which also carries a spur ear 52. At 53 is an electric motor preferably of the reversible type before indicated, and between the said electric motor and the gear 52 is a reducing gearing 54. Manifestly when the motor 58 is actuated the frame 12" will be moved as a unit to and fro relative to the pedestal 12". At 55 is a motor on a carriage 56, said carriage being superimposed and movable on a support 5T. Intermediate of the motor 55 and the apparatus is a driving connection 58 to rotate the polishing units about their axes, and also intermediate of the said motor 55 and the apparatus is a driving connection 59 to rotate the gears 18 and bring about reciprocation of the connected. polishing units in a line at right angles to the line in which the apparatus as a whole is moved to and fro. When desired the motor may be dispensed with and a driving connection such as shown in Figure 10 may be ap plied directly to the shaft that carries the pinions 51; also, in some cases the said shaft may be provided with a eranlr 52 as shown 1n Figure 9 for the movement of the frame 12 by hand.

In the modification shown in Figures 11 and 12, the stone 3 to be polished remains stationary, and the frame 12 which carries the rotary polishing units is moved in one direction through the medium of a threaded shaft and nuts 71, and is moved in a line right angles to said direction by a threaded shaft 72 and nuts 73, appropriate power being applied to said shafts in any manner compatible with the purpose of my invention. it will also be observed that provision is made in the said embodiments, Figures 11 and 12,

for the power raising and lowering of the frame 12 the said raising and lowering means as shown comprising upright threadedshafts 8O threaded through the frame 12 for the raising and lowering thereof, and a driving connection 81 connected by telescopic means with the said shafts 80.

In all of the embodin'ients of my invention hereinbefore shown and t escribed, it will be understood that provision is made for the rotation of the polishing units about their sizes, and for the movement of the group of polishing units relative to the stone that is being acted upon so as to assure the polishing of all of the surface of the stone.

1 have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and pre ferred embodiments of my invention in order to impart a full, clear and exact understanding of the said embodiments. i do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the specific construction and relative arrangement of parts inasmuch as in the future practice of the invention various changes and modifications may be made such fall within the scope of my invention as defined in my appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a polishing apparatus the combination of a frame, a housing arranged against vertical movement in the frame, a sleeve journalled in the housing and having a flange intermediate of its ends abutting against the lower end of the housing, a shaft join-nailed in the sleeve and housing, and a polisher connected to the lower end of the said shaft, a nut surrounding said shaft and adapted in one position to freely rest against the upper surface of the polisher, a coiled spring surrounding the sleeve and interposed between the flange and the nut to yieldinnly urge the polisher against the worlr, said nut being adapted to be threaded on the end of the sleeve to confine the spring between it and the flange thereon so that the spring is restrained from yieldingly acting upon the said polisher.

2. In a polishing apparatus, the'combination of a frame, a housing arranged against vertical movement in the frame, a sleeve journalled in the housing and having a flange intermediate of its ends, a shaft journalled in the sleeve and housing, and a polisher connected to the lower end of the shaft, a nut surrounding said shaft and adapted in one position to freely rest against the upper surface of the polisher, a spring surrounding the sleeve and interposed between the flange and the nut to urge the polisher against the work, said nut also being adapted to be threaded on the end of said sleeve to confine the spring between it and the flange thereon to restrain it from acting upon the polisher, anti-friction 'means between said spring and the flange on the sleeve, and a collar loosely surrounding the shaft and separated by antifriction means from the polisher to afford a bearing for the nut when said nut is disconnected from the sleeve.

3. In-a polishing apparatus, the combinationof a frame having two upper rails spaced horizontally from each other, two lower rails similarly spaced from each other and also spaced from the upper rails, housing arranged in'said frame and movable laterally therein andhaving intermediate enlargements interposed between the upper rails and the lower rails, anti-friction means interposed between the housings and the frame rails, and means for connecting said housings whereby they aremovable together as a unit, means for moving the connected housings to and fro longitudinally of the frame, sleeves journalled'in the housings and having flanges opposed to the lower ends of the housings, nuts detachably connected to the lower ends of the sleeves, coil springs surrounding the sleeves and interposed etween the flanges thereof and said nuts,.upright shafts journalled in the sleeves and housings, means connected with the shaft above the housings for rotating the shafts about the axes, and polishers connected with the lower ends of the shaft adapted to be contacted by the nuts when said nuts are disconnected from the sleeves.

4. In a polishing apparatus, the combination of a frame having two upper rails spaced said, longitudinal drive means,

horizontally from each other, two lower rails similarly spaced from each other and also from the upper rails, housings having intermediate portions interposed between the upper rails and lower rails whereby said housings are held against vertical movement relative to the frame, said housings connected together and movable horizontally in the frame, shafts journaled in the housings, polishers connected with the lower portions of said shafts, springssurrounding said shafts and interposed between the lower ends of the housings and the polishers and adapted to hold the polishers yieldingly to their work, pulleys on the upper portions of the shafts,

longitudinal rotary drive means, and belts connecting said longitudinal drive means and the pulleys to move the housings to and fro including the short shafts connected with pulleys on said shafts and gear shifted rack bars to operate the housings.

r In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN P. SAPORITI. 

